Japanese study guide
Japanese Politeness Levels: Plain, Polite (です/ます), and Keigo
です/ます, plain form, and keigo: how Japanese politeness levels work, which one to learn first, and when using the wrong register sounds wrong.
One thing that surprises new learners: in Japanese, how you say something shifts depending on who you're talking to. The same idea has a casual version, a polite version, and a formal version. Getting the level right matters as much as getting the words right. Here's the map.
The three levels you'll meet
1. Plain / casual form (タメ口) Used with close friends, family, and people younger or clearly closer to you. Verbs stay in their dictionary/plain forms, and the copula is だ.
学生だ。 — I'm a student. (casual) ラーメンを食べる。 — I('ll) eat ramen.
2. Polite form: です / ます (丁寧語, teineigo) The safe default with strangers, coworkers, teachers, and anyone you don't know well. This is what beginners should learn first, because it's polite enough for almost any situation and never rude.
- です is the polite copula ("is/am/are"): 学生です。
- ます attaches to verbs: 食べます、行きます。
ラーメンを食べます。 — I('ll) eat ramen. (polite)
3. Keigo: honorific & humble (敬語) The formal register for customers, bosses, and formal settings. It splits into two directions:
- 尊敬語 (sonkeigo, honorific): raises the other person. e.g. いらっしゃる (to be/go/come), 召し上がる (to eat/drink), なさる (to do).
- 謙譲語 (kenjougo, humble): lowers yourself. e.g. 参る (to go/come), いただく (to receive/eat), いたす (to do), 申す (to say).
何を召し上がりますか。 — What will you (honored guest) eat? (honorific) 私がいたします。 — I'll do it. (humble)
Keigo is genuinely advanced; even Japanese people study it for work. Don't worry about mastering it early. Just know it exists and recognize a few common forms.
Which should a beginner learn?
Start with です / ます, full stop. Here's why:
- It's appropriate in the vast majority of situations you'll actually be in as a learner.
- It's never rude: worst case you sound slightly formal with a close friend.
- Casual form is easy to pick up later from listening, once polite form is solid.
Trying to juggle all three levels at once is a common way to stall. Nail polite form first; layer casual and keigo on as you go.
A quick reference
| Meaning | Plain | Polite | Honorific / Humble |
|---|---|---|---|
| to do | する | します | なさる / いたす |
| to eat | 食べる | 食べます | 召し上がる / いただく |
| to go | 行く | 行きます | いらっしゃる / 参る |
| to say | 言う | 言います | おっしゃる / 申す |
| is (copula) | だ | です | でいらっしゃる |
How to develop a feel for register
Politeness levels aren't just rules; they're a social feel you build by hearing Japanese used in real situations: how a shop clerk speaks vs how friends chat. Exposure to natural, in-context Japanese is what tunes your ear. For the bigger picture on where this fits, see how to start learning Japanese.